Where budding artists can flower
Ilona Amos meets artist Glenda Waterworth, who hopes to inspire nascent creatives with the beauty of nature by hosting a weekend of art classes at Logan Botanic Garden
Do you love nature and marvel at its wondrous beauty, wishing you could capture its essence on canvas and immortalise that moment in time? Well there’s good news for any budding Van Goghs, Constables, Turners or Monets out there.
Logan Botanic Garden, known as Scotland’s most exotic, is running a special art class to help amateur artists create their own masterpieces.
Located near Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway, the original garden at Logan dates back to 1869. A century later, it was gifted to the nation and officially became Logan Botanic Garden. It boasts both stunning views and an outstanding collection of plants – presenting a wealth of artistic opportunities for artists of all abilities.
Whether it’s palm trees and ferns from antipodean forests, the fish pond adorned with water lilies, or the elegant Victorian-style glasshouse, there is no shortage of eye-catching features to provide inspiration.
The art classes, which are being held on the weekend of 11 and 12 June, will be led by acclaimed local artist Glenda Waterworth who takes her own cues from the landscape and sea.
“My paintings are rich with texture and vibrant colour, expressing a mood and abstract sense of place,” she says.
Glenda describes her teaching style as “relaxed”, and says her goal is for participants to “have fun while taking the class”.
She wants to encourage people to use their own intuition and be as experimental as they dare while creating their artworks. It’s all about learning and enjoying the process, she says, not just the final piece. “In taking part, participants can expect a fun and fresh approach to capturing the colours and impressions of the gardens through structured exercises, sketches and experimentation.”
The first day of classes will focus on exploration and developing ideas that will help build towards a finished artwork.
Participants will be encouraged to take photographs and do some preliminary sketches around the grounds, getting a feel for the surroundings and considering what subjects they would like to focus on.
The aim is for the students to tap into their own inspiration and personal interests.
Gardens can be complicated and overwhelming to render artistically, says Glenda, so she will demonstrate how to simplify drawings and sketches – an important skill for artists.
Some “loosening up” paint exercises will follow, with a few useful tricks on how to work with acrylic paint being passed on.
Texture is a big part of Glenda’s own work, so she plans to help
students explore techniques incorporating found materials, such as leaves and other items from the garden, in their creations.
Day two will mainly consist of building up the final pieces of work to completion with the artist’s able assistance.
Sited on Scotland’s south-western tip, Logan enjoys an almost subtropical climate. Its avenues and borders boast a spectacular and colourful array of half-hardy perennials. Warmed by the Gulf Stream, plants from Australia, New Zealand, South and Central America, and South Africa thrive in its mild climes. Richard Baines, curator at Logan, says: “The garden can be truly inspirational and bring us all much closer to nature in a peaceful and tranquil setting.
“Learning in a relaxed atmosphere with a talented teacher allows us all to bring out the best in our creativity.”
Logan, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019, is one of four sites owned by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, a charity organisation that delivers knowledge, education and plant conservation action worldwide.
Expect a fun and fresh approach to capturing the colours and impressions of the gardens